5.14.2009

How to do rag curls

When searching the web for rag curl directions, I came across creepy child beauty pageant blogs that said "cut some fabric, wet your hair, roll it up, tie it".

Do that and you will cry from the result.

After quite a while of doing rag curls on myself from chin length hair, to past shoulder length, I can show you the the the little things to know only learned from trial and error. So here is the correct way to do rag curls.

You will need:Strips of cotton fabric. Around 2" X 5" works well.A comb.Mousse or something similar.A brush.

1. Wet hair. I take night showers, so that's easy, but sticking your head under a faucet could be just fine. Make sure your hair is evenly wet, then pat it with a towel.

2. Brush hair out smooth, with the comb part your hair where you want it, I've only ever done it parted down the middle.

3. With the comb separate a front section of hair. I prefer softer curls, so I take about a fingers width of hair. For tighter curls take a bit less. For a retro look make sure and take the section from about eyebrow level, not from the top of your head.

4. Take a rag and roll the section of hair from bottom to top, not super tight, then it wont dry. Tie the rag under the curl.

5. VERY IMPORTANT. Repeat on the other side. Going back and fourth from side to side traveling to the back. If you do one side at a time, your curls will turn our uneven, due to one side drying while the other side is being set. Then you will be sad.

6. Finish the back, I usually do two layers for extra volume.

7. Sleep on it. Or if you are doing this in the morning and plan on it being done in the evening, a cotton kerchief is a cute look for going out during the day, or a pretty little mesh cap for around the house.

8. When you wake up gently untie the rags. Take a brush and brush though all the curls, it will look pretty fluffy.

9. Take a dollop of mousse, rub your hands together and distribute all over your hair, smoothing the curls out.

Fantastic! I haven't done rag curls in years... (I think the last time I did, it was for a party and I was dressing up in a mid 1780s gown, complete with the poufy hair!) But I may just have to try these again. Thank you so much for the step-by-step tutorial! :)

What an awesome tutorial! I love rag curls and seeing this post reminded me of when my grandma would do them on me as a child (even as a youngster my hair was too fine to hold a curling iron curl, but luckily this time-honored method did the curl trick!).

Thank you for sharing this post - I think your locks turned out beautifully!

As someone who has tried many things to get my hair curled I've found that the easiest way to get your hair curled without too much work is to wet your hair until it's just lightly damp and then separate your hair into 2-3 sections and then twist them into individual little buns at the base of your neck.

Leave them in overnight and in the morning just comb your fingers through the curls. My hair is usually pin straight and my curls last almost all day when I do this.

This looks so cute! Do you have any idea if it's possible to recreate the effect with longer hair? Mine is about waist-long, and I have tried several times to curl it in a similar way, but of course it didn't dry very well, being so long... Happy about any advice, and oh, your blog is fabulous!

I've found that letting hair dry a bit can be helpful, as I have the same issue. Mine of course is not as long as yours, but very thick, and sometimes even letting it dry somewhat and smoothing some holding lotion before curling may help.

Thanks. I just cut 8 inches off my daughters hair. It was down to her waist and had never been cut before. Now its mid-back but didnt curl up like it did when she was a toddler. ( She's 7 now). My mom told me how to do rag curls but seeing pics w/ a step by step is great! I cant wait to try it. Thanks so much. Love your blog!!

Solanah, I love this little "how to" on ragcurls! pictures are so cute. I tried ragcurls out, and not so cute on my poor little short hair, BUT it inspired me to do a watercolor of a "Ragcurl Tutorial." I would love to give it to you! Thanks for the inspiration! -Sabrina

I found this tutorial through a google search and thank you so much for writing this! My hair has finally reached the length of my shoulders and is naturally wavy but I wanted to find a method of enhancing the curl more and this seems to be the ticket:) Your blog is delightful by the way.

I love your blog, and I found this tutorial very helpful! I have been trying to figure out how to get those vintage curls. : ) I was wondering, how long does it take you to finish your rag curls? Right now, it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour! I'm sure it will get easier with practice... plus I think I did more sections than you did. I'll have to try more hair in each curl next time.

First, I absolutely LOVE your blog!! You're always so impeccably made up, its such an inspiration.

My dilema is that when I do the rag curls, they turn out very nicely, however after a few hours, my hair is basically matted with knots etc. What am I doind wrong? Haha. My hair is also just below shoulder length, after brushing out the curls lightly.

When I had your length of hair I brushed it out pretty heavily, and smoothed it with mousse. Then just shaped it and ran my fingers through until it gets to where I want. It stayed pretty smooth since I brushed all of it out until there were no tangles or knots from the original curls, but I also carry I small comb in my purse so smooth it out on windy days ;)

Oh wow, thanks so much for posting this! :DI absolutely fail at using curling irons, and my attempt at using bobby pins gave me an afro... so I think this will work out nicely. I've got about the same length of hair as Tyjana now. :3Only, I've got really thin and flat hair so I don't know how full it will be. I'll try to layer as much as I can though.

Oh darn, forgot my question!I've been wanting to cut my bangs basically like you have yours, but they have a tendency to separate and look pretty stupid. u.u How do you manage them? Hairspray and whatnot?

Solanah,You have such a darling blog!I found you through a google search on how to do rag curls. Tried it last night but it didn't turn out quite right, my ends were little stick-out wires. I would love to see your tuorial on pin curls. :)

just finished my first attempt at rag curls! i'm going to sleep on them and hope for the best. i'm not so great at pin curls yet but this was a lot easier to do (provided it's not a mess tomorrow ;)) thanks, doll.

Fabulous tutorial!! My kindergartner is envious of my naturally curly hair, and since I'm clueless when it comes to creating curls, I've been buying various kinds of tools to help. I totally forgot about rag curls until finding a packet at a store at the mall last weekend. It wasn't what I expected -- something that reminds me of the cloth diaper wipes are made of but treated with something sticky -- but it inspired me to google rag curls, and voila, I found your awesome tutorial. Thanks, both for the step-by-steps AND for the fabulous photos of each stage!

Turns out, I've got tons of great scraps from quilting that I think she'll be as excited over as the curls if they turn out anything remotely like yours!!

(I'm continuously mind-boggled over how girly-girl my kid turned out to be. Thank goodness for the web and blogs like yours to help me along the way!!)

I am a hairdresser and a mother of 3 girls and never even thought of doing rag curls!...they always want me to put the pink rollers in and I'm to lazy lol....this is the cutest site EVER!!! I love all the vintage pics!! great job I can't wait to try it on the girls tomorrow.. thanks for sharing

Thanks so much!!! Just tried it...my hair is like yours: brown, bangs. Just a lot longer. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Curling wand only makes waves, nothing else works, and pins curls are frizzy!

My hair never holds a curl. Ever. So when I tied my hair up last night and went to sleep, my last thoughts were that I was going to have a 'fro when I woke up. Nope! It was curly and poofy, but it was wonderful! I'm doing it again next weekend for a costume-do. Thanks for the super-easy-to-follow tutorial!

This may sound extreme but, thank you--this has literally changed my life. My hair does not hold a curl--by the time you get to the other side with a hot iron it's already falling out. My hair is stick straight and the only thing that has ever held before is a crimp (you can only imagine the poof that causes!) I am now curling my hair for the third time in less than 2 weeks because it holds so well--and it stays for two DAYS! I'm just thrilled. So thank you. If you hadn't made it seem so easy I don't think I would have tried it. So thank you.

Hi :) I am rather new to blogging (but loooving it) and I was wondering whether I could put a link to this post on my blog http://kikikaties.blogspot.com because there is no way I can do a better rag-curl tutorial than this!! I love you blog, by the way! It inspired me to start blogginglove kate

Hallo! Amazing tutorial, thank you. One thing though - how do you start the curl? Do you put it on the rag, then use the rag to roll the hair up? Or do you roll the hair up, then tie it in place with the rag? Please help! Thank you :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this amazing tutorial! It is seriously a minor miracle that I've gotten some fabulous curls to stay in my hair! I just wrote about and linked to your tute on my blog. Again, my deepest gratitude for changing my hair life. Seriously.

You make this look so easy, what tips do you have for someone who is trying it for the fist time? I was in the bathroom trying to get my straight hair to roll up properly in the strips of cloth and after 20 minutes of no success with even one single section of hair, I was in tears from frustration. :(

Holy moly, I tried this last night and now I've got hair like Carrot Top! My hair has NEVER been able to curl as it's very fine and very stubborn but wow, after this I find myself in need of de-frizzer and starting to understand the problems my curly haired friends complain about. Heehee, I can't wait to do this tomorrow!

I've been experimenting with pin and rag curling a lot lately trying to achieve a vintage hairstyle and i find my searches often lead to your blog posts. Unfortunately, pin curling does not seem to be possible on my long, fine hair. The rolling causes way to much frizz and it doesn't hold. The rag curls worked really well to make curls, but the ends were super frizzy and nappy feeling! When I brushed the curls out they went POOF like a poodle and very unattractive. It's weird because my hair is usually very silky never frizzy. I was hoping for the end result like your loose ringlets but though I followed all the steps near as I can tell, it doesn't seem to work. Grrr. Frustration. Any more tips?

Any tips for getting these to work on someone who already has very curly hair? I was hoping the rag curls would loosen my naturally tight curls. .... and um my hair looks like Magenta's "in Rocky Horror"

Thanks for the tutorial! I've looked at a few other ones, but the pictures really helped. I cut my waist-length hair to a 1920s bob last autumn and now it's about shoulder-length, and I have been wanting to curl it for a while. (it's naturally curly when it's extremely short, but apparently it's too long now to curl on it's own) I'll try this tonight and see how it turns out!

Could you help me? I am also classically British and have often been told I have the face of a 1920's girl...why not get the hair to match?! My hair is very frizzy and super impressionable; I tried dry rag rolling to just under my ears and woke in the morning with tiny, tight ringlets, not quite the look I was going for!Have you any tips on how to soften the curl? I tried rolling less tightly but it just fell out. Would silk work better for my type of hair? Many thanks, your tutorial is on the best :)